Organisers of the Utrecht marathon are under fire after setting up an incentive scheme aimed at domestic runners that has been criticised as unfair and discriminatory, reports De Telegraaf.

The marathon's director, Louran van Keulen, has redistributed the budget traditionally spent on attracting top international runners – usually Kenyans – and redirected it into a "stimulus program" for local competitors. It takes the form of awarding prize money for Dutch runners of €10,000 but for any other foreign national, only €100.

The decision was widely condemned. Utrecht alderwoman Rinda den Besten said: "It is a great event of which we are so proud but now we are very unhappy." While Tim Looten of an anti-discrimination group noted: "Normally people are discriminated against because they are not good enough but now it is because they are too good." Although Gert-Jan van Wijk, a Dutch businessman working in Nairobi, offered to make up the €9,900 difference to non-Dutch winners it was too late for the Kenyans, who, disappointed at "not being welcome", had not applied for visas.

The Kenya Open golf tournament, the longest-running of the whole European Challenge Tour, has not had a Kenyan winner since it began in 1967. Dutch players have, however, won it three times.

Belgium: Wolf's wife cooks up a winning streak

Hope sprouts anew for FC Brussels – thanks to the secret recipe of the manager's wife. Stuck in the relegation zone of the Belgian second division just over a month ago, the team, managed by former international Michel de Wolf, seemed destined for demotion. President Johann Vermeesch was so angry that he said he would no longer pay for the players' meals between daily training sessions.

That turned out to be a blessing, because de Wolf asked his wife to cook instead – and her take on spaghetti bolognese started a revival. Brussels have won all five matches since then and are out of the drop zone. "I think she must make it quite spicy because we've been on an unbelievable run since she came," said de Wolf. Perhaps inspired by Brussels, the owner of first division Club Brugge this week ordered the wives of his team's players to take cooking lessons.

Peru: Buy-it-now sale shows humour on offer at La U

Unhappy fans of Peru's footballing powerhouse Universitario de Deportes ("La U") were bouyed when an enterpising one of their number put manager Jose del Solar up for sale on the South American equivalent of eBay.

"Football coach available/for rent/for auction," read the ad. It went on to mock his performance as coach of the Peruvian national team – "I lost almost every game, and for my great work I was hired by La U" – before offering the sort of honesty that proved it had to be a spoof: "The team can barely play and the fans hate me, but like a true professional I will stay through to the end of my contract."

USA: Documents reveal Klan tried to say it with flowers

Website Deadspin has unearthed letters written by a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in 1924, requesting that baseball team the Cincinatti Reds host a "Klan Day" during a game against the New York Giants.

Not only do the letters reveal the hood-wearing racists to be particularly polite: "At the request of the Imperial Officials of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan I am writing you to inquire whether your club will extend to our organisation the priveledge [sic] ..." Etc etc. But that they apparently also wanted to spread the message of white supremacy with flowers, offering to present a "special bouquet" to each of the managers and the teams. The Reds rejected their request.